Category: Uncategorized

Author in Progress: A No-Holds-Barred Guide to What It Really Takes to Get Published by Therese Walsh My rating: 5 of 5 stars Writer Unboxed is a web-based community of writers, some traditionally published, some self-published while others write as a hobby, but everyone within the community wants to learn more about the craft and…

Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t: Why That Is And What You Can Do About It by Steven Pressfield My rating: 5 of 5 stars I received a PDF for Steven Pressfield’s “Nobody wants to read your …” as part of the launch marketing, and almost put it down immediately. It’s written like a cross…

14th Deadly Sin by James Patterson My rating: 3 of 5 stars The wife likes these books, she’s the target market – that CSI loving, police drama tv loving market. Sales are high, these guest-written Patterson books fill the top sellers lists, but they’re to crime what Mills&Boon are to romance – accessible and undemanding.…

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’ve been reading Neil Gaiman’s work for over a quarter of a century, making me feel far older than I feel. From his Sandman days, through other DC projects like Black Orchid (Dave McKean’s original artwork of the final page hangs in my…

Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is a short read, a collection of essays from the past four decades, in the style Stephen King’s On Writing – autobiographical with a few morsels of advice on creativity thrown in. View all my reviews

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva My rating: 5 of 5 stars Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review. There’s not many books, especially debuts, where within the first few pages the quality, the craftsmanship, the attention to detail, makes you realise you’re reading something special. Oliva’s The Last One falls squarely into that…

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler My rating: 5 of 5 stars Anne Tyler is one of the greats. The subtlety of her writing, the huge swathes left unsaid, allows the reader to mirror their own experiences onto her character’s. I’ve read much of her work, and though her writing style is consistent, the uniqueness…

Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Note: this book was supplied by Netgalley for an honest review. I liked this book. It’s a fairly standard psychological thriller, but nicely done and paced to hold the interest. The writing was good, some lovely prose in places. I did feel Margot was…

The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story by Christopher Castellani My rating: 5 of 5 stars As Castellani says, “in devising and drafting a narrative strategy, an author makes all sorts of craft decisions that influence how the work will be read and enjoyed”. He adds that the language can seduce the reader, maintaining…

Hunger by Michael Grant My rating: 4 of 5 stars Despite this second instalment having some good themes (anti-hero uprising, food shortages, etc.), I enjoyed it less that Gone. It’s turning into one of those series where you just know however bad it looks, the lead characters are going to emerge alive. Hopefully Lies will…